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9780814751787 Academic Inspection Copy

The Economics of Qwerty

History, Theory, Policy: Essays by Stan J. Liebowitz and Steven E. Margolis
  • ISBN-13: 9780814751787
  • Publisher: NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
    Imprint: NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
  • Edited by Peter Lewin
  • Price: AUD $193.00
  • Stock: 0 in stock
  • Availability: This book is temporarily out of stock, order will be despatched as soon as fresh stock is received.
  • Local release date: 01/02/2002
  • Format: Hardback (229.00mm X 152.00mm) 248 pages Weight: 0g
  • Categories: Political economy [KCP]
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The top left hand side of the keyboard reads "Q-W-E-R-T-Y." Is this inefficient layout an inefficient early development to which we are now forever committed? The "economics of QWERTY" describes cases in which it has been claimed that technologies which have become accepted are not as good as rival technologies. Perhaps they have been "locked in" at an early stage, preventing newer, better possibilities from taking hold. Distinguished economists Stan Liebowitz and Steven Margolis have critically examined the various aspects of the economics of QWERTY and its implications, calling into question the historical accuracy of the standard account of QWERTY and similar cases such as those of Beta/VHS and Macintosh/Windows. They contend that no plausible case of inferior standards being locked in has ever been documented, though much antitrust activity and legislative policy has been based on the belief in the occurrence of such cases.
Peter Lewin is Senior Lecturer in Economics, Finance, and Management at the School of Management of the University of Texas in Dallas. Stan J. Liebowit is Professor of Economics in the School of Management of the University of Texas in Dallas. Stephen E. Margolis is Professor of Economics and head of the Department of Economics at North Carolina State University.
"Liebowitz and Margolis are masters of neoclassical theory. The book mixes theoretical and historical analysis, effectively confronting one with the other, and exposing both their weaknesses and strenghs." -EH.NET
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